Murfreesboro Fire Rescue Department recently welcomed 25 new Fire Trainees. The large group was hired with $2.8 million in Federal grant funds the department was awarded last year. The "Staffing for Adequate Fire & Emergency Response (SAFER)" grant is helping the department to achieve its goal of meeting National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) minimum staffing standards. The recruits will begin training for their Firefighter certification on April 8 and are expected to graduate from Rookie School on June 14. "This is the largest group that the department has hired since the early 1990s," said Fire Rescue Chief Mark Foulks. "This group will basically make up a full training academy class," he said.